Friday, February 15, 2019

John Cohen & Eli Smith

John Cohen (New Lost City Ramblers) and Eli Smith (Dust Busters, Down Hill Strugglers) share an admiration for old time music. They play authentic American folk music with that time-honored quality that is lost in today’s music scene. John, now 86, got involved with old time music in 1948 when he heard re-issues of 1920s string band recordings. Perhaps more than anybody, he and his collaborator Mike Seeger were responsible for promoting and preserving obscure rural Appalachian folk music during the middle 20th century. Eli carries on this work, stirring up a modern-day folk revival.

Below is a list of bluegrass or acoustic jams in the Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey region. If you know of changes in these jams or jams that are not included in this list send an email to bobslinden@yahoo.com. We would like to acknowledge the work of Ed Pollak to compile the initial list that this was drawn from.

Memories from Festivals Past

Our official Festival Photographer, Priscilla Warnock, now has a selection of photos she has taken at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festivals for sale on her web site. This includes many from the 2009-2011 festivals and a selection of shots from previous festivals, too. You have probably seen her work on the festival web site, in bluegrass magazines like Bluegrass Unlimited and even on a number of bluegrass CDs.